Anchorage Daily News

A Chevak snowmachiner who apparently got caught in a ground blizzard over the weekend was found dead of exposure, Alaska State Troopers said today.

Jon Michael Atchak, 24, was discovered Sunday afternoon after an airplane was dispatched from St. Marys to assist the search, troopers said.

Atchak was reported missing at about 10:45 a.m. Sunday, after last being seen by a village police officer at a store Saturday night, troopers said.

Officials contacted neighboring villages and searchers began combing the nearby trail systems, troopers said.

Shortly after the airplane was dispatched from St. Marys at about 2:30 p.m., searchers on the ground found the snowmachine but not Atchak, troopers said.

His body was discovered a short time later about 12 miles northeast of Chevak and about a mile and a half from his snowmachine, troopers said.

He appeared to have gotten caught in a ground blizzard that hit the night before and had died from exposure, troopers said.

Find James Halpin online at adn.com/contact/jhalpin or call him at 257-4589.

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